MC board approves lawsuit settlement

College plans softball facility upgrades

The Midland College board of trustees on Tuesday voted to approve settling a lawsuit filed against the institution. A complaint filed in April claimed disparities between the facilities for the college’s softball and baseball teams, made up of women and men, respectively. less

The Midland College board of trustees on Tuesday voted to approve settling a lawsuit filed against the institution. A complaint filed in April claimed disparities between the facilities for the college’s ... more

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The Midland College board of trustees on Tuesday voted to approve settling a lawsuit filed against the institution. A complaint filed in April claimed disparities between the facilities for the college’s softball and baseball teams, made up of women and men, respectively. less

The Midland College board of trustees on Tuesday voted to approve settling a lawsuit filed against the institution. A complaint filed in April claimed disparities between the facilities for the college’s ... more

MC board approves lawsuit settlement

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The Midland College board of trustees on Tuesday voted to approve settling a lawsuit filed against the institution. A complaint filed in April claimed disparities between the facilities for the college’s softball and baseball teams, made up of women and men, respectively.

The college will start making softball complex upgrades in compliance with Title IX, which protects people from sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs or activities.

“We focused on those areas where the college had not completed the projects we had always planned to complete in a timely way to be in compliance with Title IX requirements,” MC President Steve Thomas said after Tuesday’s special board meeting. “This settlement puts us in really good shape in terms of the compliance issues.”

MC plans to complete the softball facility changes by the start of the 2020 season. Thomas said the cost of upgrades hasn’t been determined and that the money will come out of the college’s operational budget over the next two or three cycles.

The upgrades include: installing lights for flexible practice times; enlarging dugouts; renovating bleachers for comfortable seating; and replacing the portable locker room building with a new dressing space.

“We had some issues around some of the disparities in the baseball field and the softball field,” Thomas said. “So, the major thrust of the settlement is to do the upgrades and modify the softball complex so it’s an equitable facility for the softball players.”

Tommy Ramos was the head MC softball coach last season when he sought declaratory relief, injunctive relief and damages for Title IX violations, according to a previous Reporter-Telegram report. Ramos, now an assistant coach at New Mexico State University, was pleased that MC planned to make updates.

“I think it’s fantastic,” he said. “The [college has] taken the lead, not just on the campus. This is an example for other small colleges or universities.”

Three softball players — Kiani Telles, Elizabeth Chastain and Crystine Kistner — had joined the lawsuit as plaintiffs. John Klassen, attorney for Ramos and the athletes, said he and his clients were thrilled about the results.

“Many of the things — and certainly the most important things — were addressed,” he said.

The lawsuit was originally filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. The settlement has to receive federal court approval as a formality, according to Klassen.

The two sides of the lawsuit previously had a mediation conference, and Thomas thinks the results were satisfactory for the parties. He said the college wants its teams to be successful.

“We’ve offered athletic programs at Midland College for well over 30 years, and it’s always been important to us to have equitable and quality facilities and support for our athletic programs,” Thomas said.